


Service and Sacrifice

by HkHk



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Finally get to see some more explicit stuff with Korra and Asami, Humor, So Korra might be an abomination?, Ugh all the character tags, Venatori
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-29
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-04-06 18:08:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4231686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HkHk/pseuds/HkHk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was supposed to be a time for just them, when they can just focus on each other. Instead they are thrown into yet another war, eerily similar to the Equalist movement. But maybe they could still find time for each other between each Act. She who is the Herald, and Korra who represent a danger that is all too real in this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A better stab at this. A much better stab.

Korra thought it'd take Asami days to pack for the trip through the Spirit World, a chance to relax together, to explore their blossoming relationship together. As it turned out, she was ready in two hours, a massive pack on her back and a mischievous smile on her lips. They walked into the newly made Spirit Portal, hand in hand, as if neither were ready to release the other. 

It had been very minor back then, the attraction that she felt. A smile here, a hand hold there....gradually it became something more. It was different than the brotherly affections she felt for Mako and Bolin. At the time, she didn't even know how to deal with their affections or her own mixed feelings. Going to Republic City had forced her to grow, to become the Avatar the world needed of her. 

Then there was everything else that followed, the escaped convicts, Vaatu, Kuvira...

Honestly, Korra wanted to just rest. She needed it.

Exploring the Spirit world with Asami was supposed to be that. The first day was casual, meandering around, speaking to friendly spirits. It was so beautiful, the colors and the creatures. They even shared a kiss. 

The following day was a picnic that lasted the entire day with swimming in the later half. 

It was idyllic, perfect and no doubt coming to an end. 

"What is this?" They were at a place where all the flowers had changed, the sky was grey and green. It was as if they were at the end of a line. "Korra?" 

"No idea, Asami." She could hear Raava in her head, whispering, quietly. "We should steer clear, though." 

"Nonsense. We're here to explore are we not? Besides, you're here and I'm here. We should be fine." Asami took a step into the murky green space. "Come on, Korra! Where is your sense of fun?" 

Korra let out a slight exasperated sigh but followed her girlfriend. 

Nothing phased Asami, especially after the gigantic robots and the spirit beam that near leveled Republic City. Korra envied her. Even now the smallest of things could bring out a gasp of surprise and delight out of the Avatar. The world was beautiful despite the darkness. 

The green place was murky and green. In an attempt to shed some light, she created a ball of fire in her palm. "Where are we?" 

"No idea. Isn't this exciting?" 

Korra stared at her girlfriend. "We should head back." 

"Just a little bit longer. I won't dally for too long, I promise." 

The Avatar let out an exasperated sigh, a smile on her lips. It was good to see Asami excited, joyful, free of any burdens. "Come here." She grabbed Asami's arm and tugged her into a kiss. 

It was a marvel experience one that Korra was quite determined to make a collection of. Asami's lips were always soft and coated with some sort of lip balm. It was half of a game to determine what sort of lip balm it was at any given moment of the day, rose she thinks this time. Rose with a touch of peach. So obsessed and deep in thinking, Korra didn't realize that they were in the middle of a spirit vortex until they're pulled away, yanked by some unseen force. 

Everything blurred. 

Color dripped and dribbled, the lines ceased being solid. It felt as if she was being squeezed through a tiny hole. 

Asami is a blur, and she reaches out, to grab her hand. 

Their fingertips brush. 

Then she was lying on her stomach on a wooden hutch and Raava was speaking to her in her head. What happened?

_"I'm sorry, I had to do it. I couldn't risk losing you, not now, not after everything we've been been through."_

"What do you mean, Raava?" How odd it was to speak to her when they were not in the Spirit World. For one thing, the sky was blue...blue-ish green with a column of green and what looked to be a hole in the sky. "Where are we?" 

"You are in the Korcari Wilds, on the roof of my house." The voice was majestic, the owner of it, a tall women with curiously coiffed hair. "If you get down from there, we can have tea and some cookies. It has been a long time since I have had guests." 

Seeing as there was no reason to disagree, and she was hungry, Korra slid of the roof and onto the ground. Up close, the woman whose house she had been lying on, looked even more impressive. 

"Are those horns?" 

"No, my dear." The woman's golden eyes studied her. "I am Flemeth and you are?" 

"Korra." She bowed. "Pleased to meet you." 

"Oh? You are very polite, I missed that. Do come inside, don't mind the spiders. As I mentioned before, it has been a long time since I have had entertained guests. A decade or so." Inside, the hearth was roaring, a kettle sitting above it. There were small cookies and cups. The hut did look unused, dusty. 

"Thank you. Um..most people usually don't offer tea to strangers." 

"I'm not most people, much like you are not a stranger." 

"I'm not?" 

"Perhaps you are, this incarnation of you, but Raava knows of me." 

_"She is Mythal."_

"Mythal? What?" 

Flemeth smiled knowingly. "It is like listening to whispers in the wind, is it not?"

"What do you know?" Asked Korra, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "Who are you?" 

"I am but a woman." Said Flemeth, her self depreciating tone ringing sharply in her voice. "Who carries a wisp of an ancient god in her. I know what it is like to live with a being thousands of years older than myself, to carry power and with it a responsibility to fix the world." 

"Huh," Korra sat, studying Flemeth in a new light. "Did...did you happen to see my companion? She was with me and then--" 

"No. You are the only person to appear upon my roof." 

"Ah." She had lost Asami? But where? "I do apologize, for the roof. Pretty sure I dented it." 

"No matter, it repairs itself. One of the numerous spells I placed on this hut and the area surrounding it." 

"Fancy." 

The tea is served and they both eat in relative silence. If this was Iroh, they would be talking, chatting. But this Flemeth was nothing like Iroh. No one was like Iroh. Didn't she promise to go see him? Her hands fidget on the white porcelain cup. It stands out from all the glossy black kitchenware. 

The tea is drunk, the cookies eaten, and then there is only observant silence. Gold eyes meet blue. "I should explain a few things before you decide to venture out. Avatar, you will find many things have changed and you will need to know much or else be swept away. I will tell you what I can." 

And so Flemeth explained a bit about what was going on, a war, a breach. Thedas, this place, under threat of demons. Korra didn't understand much of what was said but she understood the gist of it. Where ever Asami was, she was going to be in the thick of it. She wasn't in danger yet and besides, Asami knows how to take care of herself. It wasn't as if they were known in this land. No one was hunting her down. Just have to stay clear of the chaos. 

"Your arrival does bring a few questions." Flemeth said with a touch of interest. "Right when the breach in the sky opened up...I expect that is where you will find your friend." 

"Girl Friend." Korra corrected, playing with the cup. "Uhh...yeah, girlfriend." 

"Ah, love. What joy it brings."

"You're making fun of me." 

"Oh, I am not. Merely...noting upon it." Flemeth is all smiles now. "But enough of that. The quicker you get ready, the quicker you can leave and find your love. There are clothes in the chest, you will blend in better." 

Korra changes behind a screen. "You're not worried about me being from another world?" 

"Why should I? It doesn't change anything. Your world is not so dissimilar from this. In the end, it does not matter. I do not waste time on people that do not matter." 

The robes were quite similar to that of the White Lotus, it was nostalgic almost. "Tada?" 

"Now, all you need is a staff." Flemeth handed one over. "Good for knocking heads in." 

"Would I need it?" It was five feet long, made of wood, crafted for sure with an orb on one end and a blade on the other. Korra twirled it, testing the balance. 

"There are bandits out there, rogue templars, rogue mages. It's dangerous for any one person to wander out alone. There is a place you could go to, Redcliffe castle. From there, I'm certain you will find your way." 

"....You're being awfully helpful." 

"It is what I do, my dear." 

"What do you want? I..I'm very appreciated of all your help, but surely you want something. I'm the Avatar, everyone wants something from me." 

"Not at the moment dearie. Perhaps later." Flemeth began to collect the cups and saucers. "A warning. Guard your identity. Your title as Avatar will only hurt you here. Not everyone shares the same views about spirits. Many see them as malevolent demons. Do be careful around templars, they would not hesitate to cut your head off at any sign of...possession." 

"That's crazy. They just kill people who they think are possessed?" 

"I have no idea what they think, simply that they do these things. Fear is a powerful motivator."

Korra regarded her clothing carefully, tugging at the fabric. The sleeves were such a problem. With two quick tugs she ripped the sleeves off. 

"Too much for you?" Asked Flemeth dryly. "And to think I saved these robes for such a special occasion." 

_"She's changed. But then, so have I. This world is so different, I can sense it. The veil is thin here."_

Korra licked her lower lip. "Redcliffe?" 

"Yes. You will find her there. It will take you days to get there on foot, especially if you do not wish to be attacked." 

"Redcliffe." Korra repeated again. "Right." 

To think this was how she was going to spend her vacation.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Redcliffe, nice place, I think.

This was a terrible idea. 

Korra clung to the face of the mountain, carefully earth bending up the side. Why did she think this was a good idea? The roads looked perfectly safe, but no, just had to look at the mountain and go, I could climb that. 

Which she was. Wasn't too bad really. 

But then there was screaming and well, cries of pain. Fear. Korra knew that this wasn't her problem. She already fought a war, well, several battles and this was her vacation time. But it really wasn't a question in her mind whether or not she had to act. That's what good people do, what heroes do. 

They act.

They protect.

They kick off the side of a mountain, plummeting a few dozen feet onto the ground, airbending the dust away. She landed between two parties, one consisting of metal men, soldiers in armor and the other, a group of robed adults. Both sides looked thoroughly disheveled. 

"Hi." Korra raised a hand in greeting. "So I was just in the neighborhood and I heard something going on and I decided to check it out. Everything good here?" 

"Apostate!" 

The tin man was blown backwards by a gale force winds, his fellows buried into the ground as it swallowed them up to the neck. Korra sighed, shaking her head. Well that should get them out of their hair.

The adults, now that she got a good look, were actually an assortment of teenagers. Kids. 

"Woah, that was amazing. Where did you learn that? What circle are you from?"

"..Republic Circle? It's underground...you probably never heard of it." Korra blustered. "I'm going to Redcliffe, are you going there too?"

"Yes. It's the only place safe to go to now that the Circles are dissolved. Grand Enchantress Fiona is there. She'll know what to do." The leader of the group looked no older than Korra did when she first ventured out from the White Lotus compound. Spirits, she was so young then, so bold. 

They were a bunch of kids protecting even tinnier kids. "Where's everyone else?"

"Dunno. Some left. Some stayed." The leader of the group shrugged. "Some died."

Wasn't that depressing? 

"If you stick with me, we'll get there for sure." 

"Do you even know how to get there?"

"Towards the west." 

//

Magister Alexius paced in his study, staring at his notes. The treatment wasn't working. Everything he had done, the last few months of research had turned up to a dead end. Even with Grand Enchantress Fiona's assistance, he wasn't making any head away. If only Dorian was here, that boy had a decent head on his shoulders. 

The only thing he had now was furthering his research on the time spell. He'd be able to save his son, his wife....everything. He wouldn't be in this backwater country working with a decidedly insane darkspawn magister. He wasn't a fool, he knows what his eyes were telling him. But he's desperate. 

His son is everything to him now, all he has left of his wife, of their family. 

He will save her. He just...he just needs more time. 

Hah. Time. 

Alexius peered through the window, deep in thought. 

Failure was not an option. If he is unable to produce what was required, his life and his son's would be forfeit. If only he knew how to jump further back in time, further than even when the Herald arrived. The implications though...what sort of madness would happen? Would he snap back into his previous self? Would there be two of him? 

He rubbed his forehead tiredly. 

"Father?" 

"Felix." Alexius turned away from the window. "Is anything the matter?" 

"No." Felix looked too much like his mother these days. "Just...I want to go home, father. This place is cold and smells like dog. Can't we just..." 

"No, Felix. No. This. This is all for you." Alexius waved a hand at, well, everything. "I will find a way. Just trust me. I'm your father. I'll keep you safe." 

He nods. "Yes, I understand. Just make sure to eat, I know you've been cooped up in your room for the last few days." 

"I merely work hard, my dear boy." 

Felix smiled. "I know." He knew very well the burden that his father carried. 

He left his father to his musing and mutterings, walking through the halls, eyeing the dog statues. The southerners must really like dogs. Then again it wasn't as if his people wasn't as fixated on dragons. The Old Gods were still worshiped even as they all converted. Felix was of the firm opinion that they were all just waiting for the Old Gods to return and then they would burn the chantry down. It would explain the venatori. 

Speaking of venatori, he had an old friend to go speak to. 

"Dorian?" Sneaking off wasn't too hard, he was the son of a magister after all. Besides, there wasn't anyone in the old chantry building after his father kicked everyone out. 

"Felix!" Dorian Pavus appeared from his hiding spot. "You weren't followed were you?"

"No. I have some more information." 

Felix hoped that Dorian would figure something out. It was one thing to see the Breach from Tevinter, but here? Where they are close enough to touch it? It was terrifying. Everyone should be focused on closing the damn thing not whatever else they were involved in. 

"Good, good. Let's see...." Dorian rubbed his chin. "At least someone is doing something, this Inquisition. Southerners, they make everything sound so dramatic." 

"There's a hole in the sky." Said Felix bluntly. 

"Yes, yes but..there is drama and then there is drama!" 

"...." Felix sighed and gently cuffed Dorian on the back of the head, before grabbing his shoulder and pulling him in close. "Don't die you idiot." 

"I won't." Dorian wrapped an arm around Felix's thin shoulders. "Take care of yourself." 

"I will." 

He left the building the same way he came in, appearing as if by magic on the cobbled road. Many people made a wide berth for him. Felix ignored them. Instead his gaze focused on a particular individual, one that he had never seen before. She looked lost. Tall with short brown hair, muscular arms, very defined arms and big blue eyes. 

He'd never met anyone who looked like her, even her face was different. 

"Hello, I'm Felix." Said Felix, extending a hand out. 

"Korra." She gripped his forearm. 

"Are you lost?" Never had he felt such a strong grip before in his life. "I..I never seen you before, are you a recent arrival?" 

"Yes. I'm from the Republic Circle."

Felix nodded. She was lying. He could see it. This was a person who couldn't lie even if her life depended on it. Who was she? A mage but from where? 

"Let me show you around," He clapped a hand on her shoulder. Even through the clothes he could feel her muscles.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An update!

As it turns out, Felix wasn't such a bad guy. He immediately pegged her as a stranger and most of all, someone who had no clue what the hell was going on. Instead of turning her in, he instead confided in her and before she knew it, Korra was part of yet another conspiracy. 

Korra preformed the secret handshake of the mages, benders of this world apparently, and was just another face in the crowd. She listened to the talk about the Breach and the Herald of Andraste. Raava was very quiet, almost as if she was hiding. Once in a while, she would get this strange feeling of someone peering out of her eyes. Which was also something new that she had never experienced before. It took a long time before she reconnected with her spiritual side and with Raava. Then she landed herself in yet another conflict. 

"You want us to fight? But that wasn't part of the arrangement!" Grand Enchanter Fiona was protesting to a tall old man. "And even if we were to agree, many are children, surely you can see that it is madness Magister Alexius." 

"But there are some who can, yes? They will give their service and time, then they will become full citizens. It is how things are done, Grand Enchanter." 

Behind the man, Magister Alexius, was a few other men who looked armed and dangerous. Enforcers probably Korra reckoned. 

"Besides, it is not as if you have a choice." Magister Alexius continued. "You already signed the agreement." 

The mages were housed in a few buildings, the children were being looked over by the older mages and there was an undercurrent of fear and uncertainty. There weren't a great many of them. Of the group, it was a mix of adult men and women with a great deal of children.   
  
"Yes. It would seem that was a mistake." 

"It was either us or the templars. No one will help you, no one but me." Alexius glanced over Fiona's shoulder to where Korra and a few other mages were watching. "You there, come here." 

None of the mages budged at the command.

Korra stepped forward, putting her hand back to caution the others. She walked down the stone steps and towards the group, hands behind her back so they wouldn't see they were balled up into fists. "Yes, ser?" 

"You look like an able bodied young woman." Alexius began, scanning her over. "Can you fight?" 

"Of course ser." 

"Good." Alexius looked down at Fiona. "See? Easy and painless. Let her be the model, I will show you that there is nothing to fear." 

Fiona scowled. "She will be unharmed?" 

"She will not be harmed by my men. If she were to be injured protecting this town, then that is out of my hands." 

"You mean fighting for your interests, for Tevinter's interests." 

"Well, yes, that too." Alexius said with a smug smile. "Come with us girl, you'll need to change your outfit and be debriefed." 

Korra followed, glancing at the uniforms of the masked men. Well, this might work in Felix's favor after all. 

* * *

 "Thank you." Felix pulled his tunic over his head, gently rolling his arms. 

Two days into the "service" of Alexius and Felix had already commandeered her. He had known from the start that she wasn't exactly what she claimed to be. She could be an ally, one whose interest was neither that of Tevinter, the chantry, the mages or the Inquisition. Felix needed to know who he could trust and she was his best bet. 

"No problem. I'm not too good at this, Master Katara was so much better." Korra sealed the flask. "Whatever is inside you is nasty." 

"It's the Taint. Sooner or later I will die." Felix said. "My father has been trying to find a cure but....." 

Korra nodded her head sympathetically. 

"I wish he could accept that I'm going to die. I would rather die in bed with him besides me than to die slowly here." Felix pulled his coat on, the easiness of his movements indicating how well his treatment was going. "I wish I could tell him about you, about what you can do but I fear...I fear his masters would have other uses." 

Korra shuddered. She would rather not be dissected thank you very much. 

"I wish I could do more." Korra said. "It just keeps coming back no matter how much I pull out."   
  
"I know. The last few days have been better than I've felt for months and it's all because of you." 

The healing was temporary in the face of the disease that wracked Felix's body. The black tarry gunk that she pulled out of his body was sealed in jars after each session and stowed away. The jars themselves were spelled for protection. Even Raava was cautious, she could feel the spirit inside her shudder. She didn't want to know what would happen if she let that thing touch her. 

Something bad would happen. Something dark. 

* * *

Grand Enchanter Fiona watched the children play and a few of the mages help with the gardening. The Herald had arrived, unannounced, and bearing some odd news. But that didn't matter as much as, well, as what was to come. The future of the mages were uncertain once more, in more danger than before and it was her fault. In her fear, she had bound the mages into the services of a Magister whose own plans were murky and uncertain. What did Alexius want? 

She looked around and spotted Felix and his watcher. Or was Felix the minder? The girl, Korra, had seamlessly integrated herself into his service. Alexius was parading her around as a safe possible future for the mages. It was all too coincidental. There was something odd about Korra. She was so reckless with her magic, the girl probably hadn't been harrowed yet. The boy looked better but it wasn't due to her treatment. Whatever happened to rid her of the taint was not possible to replicate. Mainly because she doesn't know how it happened. There was a way for Felix to live but that would for him to join the Grey Wardens and he might not even pass the Joining. She didn't even mention it, she knew what Alexius would say. 

So their fruitless efforts towards working on a cure were just a smokescreen. Or was it his true desires? 

They had become nothing but pawns and there was nothing she could do.

Fiona prayed to the Maker once more that night. She prayed for guidance and for his hand to guide her way. 

* * *

 


End file.
